Brought In By Friends

Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, ‘Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’ Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I do choose. Be made clean.’ Immediately the leprosy left him. And he ordered him to tell no one. ‘Go’, he said, ‘and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them.’ But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.
One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you.’ Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, ‘Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you”, or to say, “Stand up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the one who was paralyzed—‘I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.’ Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today.’ Luke 6:12-26

When a person is dependent on others, completely dependent, one can both be so grateful and so frustrated. Having lived through several times in my life when I could not walk, dependency is not a natural state for me. We all like to be independent and self-reliant, and even the best natured person can be irritable with their own neediness. Healing, complete healing and independence are the prayer, the desired outcome for real living.

Jesus is healing and people are flocking to him, so much so that there is no space near him. When some friends break open the roof and lower down a man in need of healing, everyone must have marveled, freaked out and wondered what was going to happen. The ache for healing was so strong that they would break all barriers down. And Jesus responded with full healing, sending the man to is home. We are invited by God to not give up on the healing we need and break down the barriers that restrict us.

Today, I ask God to hep me never give up on healing for us all. May we be like the friends, who tore through a roof, in order to bring their friend to Jesus.